The Bright Side Of Suffering
by SunriseLullabies
Summary: Max is having nightmares about her possible future death. Meanwhile, Fang is trying to finally tell Max that he loves her. Will she fall apart or be prepared? Rated T for language and possible romance scenes.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey, hey. I'm starting to write so I hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter 1**

The door broke open finally, giving my heart another jolt, the lock going through the air until it landed hard on the concrete floor I lay on. Frantic screams of the angels that repeated my name through tears running down they're beautiful faces. I was looking down on this scene, as if I were, like, God, or something. I was on the floor, drenched with sweat and blood, and something about this didn't seem quite right. I could feel the heat in this darkened, unbelievably warm room and I couldn't help thinking if this was a dream or a vision of the future.

"Max, Max.." repeated one of the voices. If I opened my eyes, I was pretty sure it would turn out to be a dream. But instead, I watched the scene below, seeing my lover crying and saying it was just too late. I had rolled my head over, tears coming down my face slowly, trying to move my lips, excited for any sound or movement I could make. Surely, in this dream, I was dying in the presence of the flock. And like the person I am, I was desperately trying to awaken from my end.

My heart was pounding erratically, I felt like the Max on the ground, just an inch away from death. I've felt like that before though. "Max…wake up!" another whispered voice. Shaking, I was struggling to sit up, and then that's when I woke from my worst nightmare.

"Max!" Iggy screamed. I blinked a few times to see him come into view. Crap. "A-are you okay?" he asked. My energy level was low enough that I couldn't respond, couldn't even speak.

"What's wrong?" Nudge scooted over onto the couch. We were in a house, an abandoned one, hoping the owner's would just forget about their house and live on with their happy lives. Riiiight. I moved my lips again. Nothing. No sound. Quickly, Gaz rushed to the kitchen and came back with a tall glass of water and I sucked it down. Still, with three tries, I had no voice. Great.

"FANG! She can't speak!!!" Nudge screamed and he was in the room in a second. Imagine, me sitting up on the couch, looking like hell, tears rolling down my face, and no voice. Just a worried girl, looking right into the eyes of her best friend. He didn't even know about my dream yet. Fang sat on the couch, looking from his feet to me with the same worried look I had on my face. I tried desperately to say his name, but nothing happened except my lips moved and then I started shaking violently, possibly having a seizure. No, I was still living my nightmare.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I've received a few cheerful comments telling me to update, so I did. Hope you enjoy it.**

**_---"FANG! She can't speak!!!" Nudge screamed and he was in the room in a second. Imagine, me sitting up on the couch, looking like hell, tears rolling down my face, and no voice. Just a worried girl, looking right into the eyes of her best friend. He didn't even know about my dream yet. Fang sat on the couch, looking from his feet to me with the same worried look I had on my face. I tried desperately to say his name, but nothing happened except my lips moved and then I started shaking violently, possibly having a seizure. No, I was still living my nightmare.---_**

**Chapter 2**

If I had ever thought about death, with a clear mind, no sudden need to think about it, I had never imagined it quite like this. It was dark in this room and as I sat below the stairs, I could hear every little thing in the room. Most of the time, I could, but it was even..clearer. My hand reached up to my head, scratching it just for a quick second when I suddenly felt something hot and sticky on my hands. In horror, I couldn't see my hand any longer, and the hot, sticky liquid ran down my back and I could not control this. I simply had no idea what was going on and it filled me with rage. I felt hands around my ankle, maybe trying to soothe me, but SNAP! And my ankle was broken, for sure. I screamed out in agony and realized I wasn't Max. That none of this was really happening to **me**. So, who was I? was my last thought as the blistering pain shot back up to my head. It sent me through a wave of pain I hadn't expierced in a long time. I was most likely human. More of my bones were being broken all over my body. The aching, loud, convulsing noises in the background of the events were me. I was dying, surely.

I woke as my own eyes snapped open, sucking in air. My chest was heaving, I couldn't breathe for a second, but soon the air entered my lungs. The first thing I could hear was a monitor beeping, so this must have been a hospital. But then my glance fell from the ceiling and onto the room. The flock were all lying on the ground with blankets and pillows, sleeping. Slouching over a chair sat Jeb and I suddenly felt an urge to knock him out for good. Then again, I was in a hospital, probably all hooked up to no good medication. Then I found my mom, holding my hand, her head lying on my bed as her body lay in a chair. I sat up gently, as seeing bandages on my arms and possibly my head. Outside the window was pouring rain falling from the sky, exactly the kind of place I wanted to be was outside of this prison. The smell, the paranoia, the drugs….It all caught up to me. I stood and walked slowly to the bathroom, feeling lightheaded.

What was with all these dreams? Or nightmares, actually. The sink was loosely bolted, which I figured out as I twisted the cold handle and water spewed out. The icy water I poured on my face melted away all the problems just for the moment.

"Max?" I heard a scared, whispered voice that could only belong to my mother. I shuffled out of the room and into the doorway where I could see her face lighten up as she saw me. "Sweetie, you should be lying down. You've been through so much today," she spoke a bit louder but low enough to not wake the others. I quickly dabbed my face with a towel and slipped into bed again, taking her hand in mine.

"What do you mean?" I asked. She hesitated and then pushed her hair back the way I did sometimes.

"You had two seizures today. No one thought it was possible you would wake. They announced you fell into a coma at three today, even after all the tests and treatments they tried. Oh, Max," she pulled me into her arms, sniffing from the tears. "I thought I was going to lose you."

"W-what about this morning?"

"Oh!" she remembered she left out a piece of the story. "The Gasman called me, screaming and crying at the same time and finally Nudge came to the phone and told me everything. That mouth of hers, it's amazing how much she talks…...I told Nudge to call an ambulance and I would meet them at the hospital."

I thought this through, wondering if this sounded likable. It certainly did. "Is this…" I was about to ask if this was linked to my past brain freak things but remembered she didn't know about that. She didn't notice my latest slur as she caressed my hand, which felt very warm. Soon, the rain lightened up and I started feeling sleepy.

"Mom, I don't want to sleep," I whispered.

"I'm right here, I always will be. Just sleep," she whispered back, kissing the top of my head. "Everything's fine."

And I fell asleep.

With no nightmare, but certainly a dream.

A very good dream.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's your story, guys.**

**_---I thought this through, wondering if this sounded likable. It certainly did. "Is this…" I was about to ask if this was linked to my past brain freak things but remembered she didn't know about that. She didn't notice my latest slur as she caressed my hand, which felt very warm. Soon, the rain lightened up and I started feeling sleepy. "Mom, I don't want to sleep," I whispered. "I'm right here, I always will be. Just sleep," she whispered back, kissing the top of my head. "Everything's fine." And I fell asleep. With no nightmare, but certainly a dream. A very good dream.---_**

**Chapter 3**

"No! You can't! She woke up four hours ago!"

"Miss, she needs her daily medication to treat her wounds. Please." There was a bunch of rustling in the room which stirred me awake. A hand wretched my forearm up and I snapped up instantly with my eyes open.  
"Stop!" I saw Jeb grab a needle from the nurse that had her grip on my arm which I jerked away.

"Max," Iggy sat on the bed with his back to the scene that was happening. What was going on? My heart was racing, causing the monitor to beep repeatedly. "You're alive!" I saw tears rolling from his eyes, hugging me awkwardly as I tried to look around for the flock.

"Where's the kids?" I panicked. Mom and Jeb were screaming at the nurse who screamed back attempting to receive the needle back. Fang, Nudge, Angel, Gazzy….they were no where to be seen.

"They're hiding, after this outbreak. C'mon. You need to get dressed." he pushed my clothes into my hands and I quickly aimed for the bathroom and dressed without noticing that my clothes were clean for once. I rushed out of the room just in time to see the nurse run out of the room and Mom and Jeb walked out behind her.

"Max, this way!" Iggy was perched on the high windowstill, his wings sticking out, just barely. I jumped up, losing a bit of my grip on the small landing but he balanced me, then jumped out, his wings gliding out on either side of him, an angel in the sunrise. Feeling a bit unsure, I jumped off, falling quickly from the four-story building and snapped out my wings painfully, as they had been shut for a long time. Where was my mom going? Hopefully, Jeb, my _father,_ wasn't following. I laughed weakly at the thought of Jeb actually being my father. Then, I sighed because he was at one point in my life whether I had known or not. Iggy was miles away from me so I figured I should test out my skill to catch up. Somehow, the power just came as I built up the speed and tempo in my wings. The wind was blowing my hair back with intense speed as I saw clouds pass me by and the sun grew closer. Before my mind functioned enough to realize, Iggy was miles behind me and I heard him shout something but it got caught up in all the wind. I stopped and waited for him. He was breathless by the time he caught up and I muttered, "It's about time." He gave a little laugh and I knew he was so thankful I was actually alive. I felt alive, that's for sure. I shook out my wings in mid-air and kept flying once Iggy's huffs came shorter, just at a more normal speed.

"Well, the flock is waiting for us somewhere…" Iggy pulled out a silver, pocket-sized device and flipped it open, shoving it in my hands and swerving away fast before our wings got stuck. A noise erupted from my mouth, a noise of surprise.

"You got a cell phone?" I gasped. The phone was so slick and small; it's buttons square and white. He smiled, his strawberry blonde hair stuck all over in each direction, shining in the sunshine breaking out from the white clouds.

"_We_ got a cell phone_s_. Your mom insisted."

"No surprise there. What about the bill and texting and all that?" I had picked up _some _information from cell phones.

"Jeb said it was paid for. I don't know who by though…" he trailed off.

"Well…I don't care. We have a way to communicate with mom," I muttered. "Wait, cell _phones_?"

"Fang has the other one. His number's in there, call it. I can't really operate a phone very well," Iggy admitted. He wasn't used to them yet. I looked up the 'contacts' and surely, found Fang's number and hit 'send'.

Ring….ring….ri—

"Hello?"

"Fang," I cried out, seeing the tears already well up in my eyes, wiping them with my one free hand.

"Max? Your…"

"Yeah, I know," I sniffed, having Iggy smiling still. "but Iggy and I are…in the air and we need to know where you guys are. I miss you all like crazy," I looked up, trying to stop all the tears, but I knew they would come later once I saw the flock.

"We miss you too. We're to the west of our house, in that forest. You remember, right?"

"Yeah, I remember. We'll be there soon. Uh…I—um, good bye," I stuttered off. Fang gave a little laugh, making me feel totally happy.

"Goodbye, Max."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry, it's been awhile. I know, I know. Calm down. Hehe. Anyway, hope you enjoy annnnnnnnnd review. You don't have to though, just if you want to.**

**_---Ring….ring….ri— "Hello?" "Fang," I cried out, seeing the tears already well up in my eyes, wiping them with my one free hand. "Max? Your…" "Yeah, I know," I sniffed, having Iggy smiling still. "but Iggy and I are…in the air and we need to know where you guys are. I miss you all like crazy," I looked up, trying to stop all the tears, but I knew they would come later once I saw the flock. "We miss you too. We're to the west of our house, in that forest. You remember, right?" "Yeah, I remember. We'll be there soon. Uh…I—um, good bye," I stuttered off. Fang gave a little laugh, making me feel totally happy. "Goodbye, Max."---_**

**Chapter Numbaaaa 4**

I snapped the phone shut and handed it to Iggy, wiping my eyes. He slipped it in his pocket.

"So, do they have any idea what happened to me?" I asked.

"Well…," he looked at me, even though he couldn't see. "No."

"Great,"

"But they did tell us what to do if you start seizing again," he added. "Because we all just _love_ hospitals."

I laughed. "Yeah,"

"It was really hard," Iggy admitted. "On all of us. You would start seizing and screaming and crying. Then the doctors would pull us out of the room and we would have to sit in the waiting room."

I looked down. "I'm sorry." I couldn't imagine what they would have to live with. It was the School all over again.

"Like you could stop it," Iggy said as he dipped down into a 45 degree angle. I did the same. The forest below grew closer as we descended and I could hear the flock below us chanting saying "There's Max!!" I couldn't wait to see all of them..maybe even Total. I reached to about two feet above the ground when I snapped in my wings fast and picked up my baby, Angel, who was the first to reach my presence. She was crying with joy and I noticed my eyes becoming blurry too again, as Nudge hugged my side.

"Oh my god, Max," she cried.

"Ahh, she's alive!" Gazzy screeched and attacked me, jumping onto my back, which was still a little sore, but I didn't mind. I released one of my hands to ruffle his soft, blonde hair and then he smiled, as he always would. Total crawled under the crowd and licked my leg, welcoming me, I guess. Fang appeared out of the air as I realized he didn't move when I landed. He smiled just a bit and I let Angel down as I ran over and crashed into his hold, truly crying now.

"My god, I thought I was going to die, Fang," I whispered so only he could hear. He held me tighter and kissed the top of my head to calm me down but I could hear my heart racing. No, this wasn't supposed to be a romantic moment! My heart wouldn't listen to me though, it was just too attached to Fang. I found out I loved him not too long ago. That could change everything about my life, about my friendship with him. I don't think I cared though as I peeled away from Fang and wiped my eyes, breathing a lot harder now. Fang was more like a brother, but I loved him more than that. It was only the truth.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: So, someone convinced me to fill in little summaries of what happened in the previous chapter, so I did. If you get some e-mails saying the first four chapters are new, they aren't, really. They just have summaries. Sorry for any confusion I've caused. So, thanks to Volleyballgirl1112. And here is the next chapter. Sorry, also, for the extremely long wait. I wouldn't blame you if you guys hate me now.**

**_---"My god, I thought I was going to die, Fang," I whispered so only he could hear. He held me tighter and kissed the top of my head to calm me down but I could hear my heart racing. No, this wasn't supposed to be a romantic moment! My heart wouldn't listen to me though, it was just too attached to Fang. I found out I loved him not too long ago. That could change everything about my life, about my friendship with him. I don't think I cared though as I peeled away from Fang and wiped my eyes, breathing a lot harder now. Fang was more like a brother, but I loved him more than that. It was only the truth.---_**

**Chapter FIVE.**

After that night, I was terrified to fall asleep. Why, you ask? Cause I'd probably have another freaking nightmare, that's why. Instead of sleeping, I had offered to take two-thirds of the night shift, but no one would agree to that.

"Max, you need your sleep," Iggy placed his hand on my knee, making sure I was listening. I couldn't admit that I was afraid to sleep. I was already losing my badass touch. I bet Fang could see the fear in my eyes as I stood and walked a little ways away and wiped my nose on my sleeve. And just like that, they all sighed and fell asleep in minutes. They were exhausted, I could tell. Gazzy shifted onto his stomach, his hand only inches from the fire, which I quickly pushed away. Course, if his hand caught on fire, he would only think it was cool. But we didn't need the extra trip to the emergency room. I started calming myself down as I sat on a large rock and watched the burning fire, still listening around for any unusual sounds. I could hear a shallow river lapping over hard rocks, not too far off so I decided to walk towards it. It couldn't be that far, right?

No, I had walked for more than five minutes that I still didn't see it. The noise didn't grow louder, so I'm guessing it was at least eight miles out. Sighing, I kicked the ground and turned around, heading back to the camp. Sometimes, I wished that the Voice was still hear to calm me down, but after my previous nightmares, it had disappeared. Coming back into the clearing where the flock all lay, I sat on the large rock when suddenely, it felt like I was sitting on someone invisible.

"Ah—" I started a scream but Fang appeared and covered my mouth quickly. I sighed.

"I didn't mean to scare you," Fang chuckled, his dark eyes reflecting the glowing embers of the settling fire. Realizing I was still sitting on his lap, I scoot over to his side, feeling my face burn, and it wasn't due to the fire.

"Sorry. I need to get to this whole 'one minute he's there, one minute he's not'," I said seriously. He smiled. My heart pounded as our eyes met and I caught myself smiling.

"You should sleep, Max."

I looked back up into his eyes, which turned to the fire and then onto the kids lying in the dirt and grass, snoring. I swallowed.

"I don't want to," I whispered, very quietly. There was a short pause that seemed to last forever.

"Are you afraid?" Fang spoke clearly, turning back to my gaze.

"Yes," I bit my lip. He smiled and his face grew closer to mine. Even this eye contact was enough to make my heart beat erratically.

"Don't be," he muttered and his lips fell onto mine and pushed deeply. He was trying this again. He wanted me. He might have even loved me. Fang in love with the famous Maximum Ride? Maybe. All I knew, all I could hope for was that this was real. If Fang died tomorrow, I would've wanted to have this night. Max would have regretted not pushing back into that wonderful kiss. And did she? I decided to. My hand fell onto the rock, supporting myself, the other hand was placed on his cheek. And soon after that, I was kissing Fang. I could not imagine anything better than this. Maybe this was right. Right for us. I really did love Fang. A warm tear fell down my cheek and I pulled away, wiping it away. Fang was smiling.

"I love you, Max," Fang said. I looked back up into his eyes. Those beautiful eyes.

"I love you so much, Fang."


End file.
